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Georginio Wijnaldum
Georginio Gregion Emile Wijnaldum (born 11 November 1990) is a Dutch international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liverpool, signing from Newcastle in 2016. Liverpool career In the summer of 2016, Liverpool were linked with Georginio Wijnaldum, who had scored eleven goals for a relegated Newcastle side the season prior. The Dutchman had appeared in a variety of roles for the Geordies, and despite a lot of criticism from Newcastle fans it was made clear that Jurgen Klopp was interested in signing him. Originally there were a lot of reports that it would be a 'player(s) plus cash deal', with Lucas and Jon Flanagan both being linked with a move away, but on 22 July 2016 it was confirmed that Wijnaldum had signed for the club for a reported fee of around £25,000,000. The Dutchman took the number 5 shirt for the 2016-17 season, last worn by Daniel Agger. On 31 July 2016, Wijnaldum made his Liverpool debut, starting in a 2-0 friendly win over AC Milan. He made his competitive debut on 14 August 2016, starting in a 4-3 opening day win at Arsenal. Wijnaldum assisted Adam Lallana's goal with a good aerial ball across the penalty area. Due to unfortunate luck with injury, Wijnaldum had to wait until 6 November 2016 to open his account for the Reds, tapping into an empty net to round off a 6-1 win over Watford. On 31 December 2016, Wijnaldum scored the winning goal with a bullet header in a 1-0 victory over title rivals Manchester City. Exactly a month later, Wijnaldum scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, another header. A week later, Wijnaldum put in a widely acclaimed performance in a 2-0 win over Tottenham, and assisted Sadio Mane's opener. Wijnaldum continued his good form at home to top sides on 4 March 2017, when he scored the vital third goal to cap off a well worked counter attack and give Liverpool a 3-1 win over Arsenal. A week later, the Dutchman netted the equaliser in an eventual 2-1 win over Burnley. On 14 May 2017, Wijnaldum picked up two assists in a vital 4-0 win away to West Ham. He also played a big part in another goal, with a spectacular long range dipping volley striking the crossbar. A week later, the Dutchman continued his great form, opening the scoring with a vital strike in a eventual 3-0 win against Middlesbrough, which secured Champions League qualification, while also assisting Adam Lallana's effort to finish his debut campaign with 6 goals and 11 assists. Wijnaldum began the 2017-18 season as a starter in the Liverpool midfield, but made a costly mistake on the opening day, allowing Watford to equalise late on on the opening day of the season. On 28 October 2017, Wijnaldum scored his first goal of the season, rounding off a 3-0 win over Huddersfield with a powerful finish into the top corner. On 2 May 2018, Wijnaldum scored his first goal away from home as a Liverpool player, heading in the second in a 4-2 defeat at Roma, as Liverpool headed to the Champions League final with a 7-6 aggregate victory. Wijnaldum began the 2018-19 season in the starting lineup, being preferred as the deepest midfield player over Fabinho and Jordan Henderson. On 15 September, Wijnaldum headed in his first Premier League goal since he arrived at Newcastle in 2015, opening the scoring in an eventual 2-1 win away to Tottenham. Two weeks later, Wijnaldum made his 100th appearance for the club, starting in a 1-1 draw away to Chelsea. On 9 February 2019, Wijnaldum scored his first Anfield goal in over a year, audaciously lobbing the goalkeeper to grab Liverpool's second in a 3-0 win over Bournemouth. On 21 April 2019, Wijnaldum smashed in a vital opening goal in a 2-0 win away to Cardiff, volleying in after a low Trent Alexander-Arnold corner found him in space. Just over two weeks later, Wijnaldum started on the substitutes bench for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, with the Reds' 3-0 down on aggregate to Barcelona. With Liverpool a goal up on the night, the Dutchman came on at half-time, replacing the injured Andy Robertson. Within ten minutes of the restart, Wijnaldum met a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross on the edge of the box, and fired it past the goalkeeper to halve the deficit. Two minutes later, he rose high to meet another cross, and headed it perfectly into the top corner, putting Liverpool 3-0 up and levelling it on aggregate. The Reds went on to win the tie 4-3, and progressed into a second consecutive Champions League final. On 28 September 2019, Wijnaldum scored the only goal in a win away to Sheffield Utd, with his powerful strike slipping through the keeper’s grasp, to continue Liverpool’s 100% league record to start the season. On 4 December 2019, Wijnaldum scored his first Merseyside Derby goal, rounding off a 5-2 win with a fine finish in the final minute. Honours Liverpool *UEFA Champions League: 1 (2019) *FIFA Club World Cup: 1 (2019) *UEFA Super Cup: 1 (2019) Individual *UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 1 (2018-19) *Standard Chartered Player of the Month: 2 (January 2017, March 2017) Stats External links * Category:Current Players Category:Midfielders